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Backgrounds
Your character’s Backgrounds help to flesh out ties with mortal agencies, role in society and beneficial resources available. Each Background is used differently. In general, having multiple Traits in a given Background allows for better or more common use of that benefit. Some Backgrounds directly affect your character’s creation and development; others are called into play later during the game. Backgrounds are very divided by genre with very few shared between all genres. Consult your storyteller if you do not think a Background is appropriate for your creature type or if you feel your character should have access to a background not available to you. Wherever possible, VampCat utilizes the MET: Dark Epics rules for backgrounds, including Influences and Influence Actions. For a quick list on Backgrounds, click HERE. Standard Backgrounds Allies: You have powerful or useful friends who help you out in your endeavors. You can make a few calls and cut a few deals to get assistance in a wide range of activities. Your Storyteller will probably require you to define how you keep your allies and their relations to you. Each Allies Trait possessed represents one person whom you can call upon for aid. Unlike Influence, your Allies have special talents that make them better than the average person on the street. Although your allies may not be aware of your supernatural nature (if you have any), they can be quite useful if you direct them properly. In general, your allies do not appear during game-play. Instead, you can use them for certain services between play sessions, by notifying your Storyteller. *An ally can be directed to follow up on research or activities that you have started. If you undertook a specific task previously (such as tailing someone, researching a project or building a device), your allies can continue the work, doing so with one Ability Trait’s worth of expertise. As long as they work on the project, your Allies Trait for the individual is tied up. *If you need a particularly competent ally, you can expend multiple Traits to gain access to a mortal with multiple levels of an Ability or Influence. Each Allies Trait that you spend after the first gives an extra level of expertise to your allies. They may use this expertise on your behalf,'' though rarely with your own skill'', and they help only as long as you tie up your Allies Background Traits in this manner. Be wary of calling on your allies too often. An ally may call on you for mutual aid or refuse to help if you press him into dangerous or illegal activities. When you use Allies as an Influence, they do not utilize the Combine action and must be used on their own rather than in conjunction with others. Allies can also not utilize the Growth action. Allies can use any of the other Influence Actions. Contacts: With the right contacts in all walks of life, you can get a line on all sorts of useful information. Although having an “ear to the wall” doesn’t necessarily provide you with good help or loyal servants, it does mean that you know whom to ask when looking for the movers and shakers behind the scenes. In game terms, your rating in Contacts allows you to gather rumors and information. When you call on your contacts, you make a few phone calls, check with likely snitches and grease a few palms. In return, you get rumors and information. Doing so lets you find out exactly what’s going on in the city within a particular area. You can get information of a level equal to however many contacts you use. If you use Contacts x3 on Influence (Industry), for instance, you get information as if digging up dirt with Influence (Industry) x3. The advantage of the Contacts Background is that contacts can be switched from place to place. Contacts levels can also be spent as Influence to perform the Follow, Trace and Watch Influence Actions. Using Contacts for especially dangerous or secret information may require you to spend money or perform a few favors, at the discretion of a Storyteller. On occasion, accidents can cause contacts in one area to dry up, such as a strike that affects your Industry contacts, or a particularly unlucky astronomical conjunction sends your Occult contacts running for the hills. Your contacts will not generally function as aides or lackeys. That sort of service is the purview of the Allies and Retainers Backgrounds. Fame: 'Some characters come from the ranks of the wealthy or talented elite. Although such notoriety often fades with the years, your Fame lingers on to influence mundane society. Fame allows you to exercise your connections over a longer distance than usual. Certainly, if you’ve got the right Influence, you can push things around on an interstate or even a national scale, but with Fame, you can just make a few calls and exert your Contacts, Influence or Resources over a greater range without any impediment. You do not necessarily have to have Fame to get things done, but it helps. Your total Fame determines your maximum range for unimpeded use of your Contacts, Influence and Resources. When you make an effort to exert your Contacts, Influence or Resources over a long range, you lean on your popularity and image, which expends your Fame Traits until the next game session. Fame is most often used in the downtime between sessions to facilitate long-range plans. In a less mechanical fashion, your Fame also dictates how recognizable you are to members of mundane society, for one reason or another. The Storyteller will certainly make the effects of your Fame apparent, and people may take notice of you at bothersome times. Being profiled on America’s Most Wanted or spotted at the Academy Awards does things for one’s reputation, after all. Fame does have its limitations. Fame does not always indicate widespread instant name recognition. You may be known to only a subset of a particular group, or you might just be a recognized expert in a field who’s unknown to those outside. 'Influence: The additional Influence rules here expand upon the systems presented in the various Mind’s Eye Theatre source books. They are intended to add a level of intrigue to larger games, facilitating a shadow war of characters struggling behind the scenes to maintain their tenuous grip on the mundane world. *[[Influence (Bureaucracy)|'Influence (Bureaucracy)']]: You can manage various government agencies and bureaus. By dealing with social programs and public servants, you can spin red tape, bypass rules and regulations or twist bureaucratic regimentation to your advantage. Influence (Bureaucracy) is useful in operating or shutting down businesses, faking or acquiring permits and identification papers and manipulating public utilities and facilities. Government clerks at the city and county level, utility workers, road crews, surveyors and other civil servants are potential contacts or allies. *[[Influence (Church)|'Influence (Church)']]: Although the modern church has arguably less control over temporal society than it did in the Middle Ages, church policies still exert considerable influence over the direction of politics and communities. Knowing the appropriate people gives a character insight into many mainstream religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Shinto or Buddhism. (Fringe or alternative groups, such as Scientology, are the purview of the Influence (Occult).) When you exercise Influence (Church), you can change religious policy, affect the assignment of clergy and access a variety of lore and resources. Contacts and allies affected by Influence (Church) would include ministers, priests, bishops, Church-sponsored witch-hunters, holy orders and various attendees and assistants. *'Influence (Finance):' Manipulating markets, stock reports and investments is a hobby of many, especially those who use their knowledge to keep their wealth hidden. Although your actual available money is a function of your Resources, you can use Influence (Finance) to start or smother businesses, crush or support banking institutions and alter credit records. Clearly, such power over money is not to be trifled with. Fortunes are made and destroyed with this sort of power. *'Influence (Health):' Some creatures rely on connections in the medical community to acquire blood. Necromancers and practitioners of arcane arts may also require body parts or medical data to further their studies. These sorts of research and development fall under the purview of Influence (Health). Coroners, doctors, lab workers, therapists, pharmacists and specialists are just a few of the folks found in this field. *'Influence (High Society):' The glitterati at the top of society move in circles of wealth and elegance. Many people find such positions alluring, and they indulge in the passions of the famous and wealthy. Access to famous actors, celebrities and the idle rich grants a certain sway over fashion trends. Combined with Fame, a modicum of Influence (High Society) turns a character into a debonair darling of the most exclusive social circles. Among these circles, one finds dilettantes, artists of any stripe, old money families, models, rock stars, sports figures and jet-setters. *'Influence (Industry):' The grinding wheels of labor fuel the economies and markets of the world. Machines, factories and cyan-collar workers line up in endless drudgery, churning out the staples of everyday living. Influence (Industry) sways the formation of unions, the movements of work projects, locations for factories and the product of manufacturing concerns. Union workers, foremen, engineers, construction workers, manual laborers and all manner of cyan-collar workers exist among these ranks. *'Influence (Legal):' Since many of the operations that supernatural characters tend to undertake are at least marginally illegal, a good amount of sway over judges and lawyers is indispensable. Those who dabble in Influence (Legal) often pull strings in the courts to make sure their questionable practices go unpunished. Of course, a little Influence (Legal) is also excellent for harassing an enemy’s assets. Such Influence ranges from law schools and firms, to lawyers, judges, district attorneys, clerks and public defenders. *'Influence (Media):' Directing media attention away from one’s activities is a key component of survival for some supernatural creatures. Putting specific emphasis on certain events can put an enemy in an uncomfortable spotlight or discredit a rival. With Influence (Media), you can crush or alter news stories, control the operations of news stations and reporters and sway public opinion, with DJs, editors of all varieties, reporters, cameramen, photographers and broadcasters at your disposal. At the Storyteller’s discretion, Influence (Media) may also allow access to the more technical areas of television, radio or movies. *'Influence (Occult):' The hidden world of the supernatural teems with secrets, conspiracies and unusual factions. Obviously, most supernatural creatures are aware that strange things exist out there by dint of their very existence, but acquiring hard knowledge of such things is a function of Abilities. By using Influence (Occult), you can dig up information to improve your knowledge, get inside the occult community and find rare components for magical rituals. Cult leaders, alternative religious groups, charlatans, occultists and New Agers can be found here. *'Influence (Police):' "To protect and serve" is the motto of the police, but these days, many people have cause to wonder who is being protected and served. That said, Influence (Police) can be very handy in protecting one’s holdings or raiding the assets of another. Police of all ranks, detectives, clerical staff, dispatchers, prison guards, special divisions (such as SWAT or homicide) and local highway patrol officers make up these ranks. *'Influence (Political):' Altering party platforms, controlling local elections, changing appointed offices and calling in favors all fall under the purview of Influence (Political). Welltimed blackmail, bribery, spin-doctoring and sundry other tricks are the stock in trade on both sides of this fence. Some of the likely contacts and allies include pollsters, lobbyists, activists, party members, spin-doctors and politicians from rural zoning committees to the mayors of major cities or representatives in Congress. *'Influence (Street):' Ignored and often spat upon by their "betters," those in the dark alleys and slums have created their own culture to deal with life and any outsiders who might intrude. When calling on Influence (Street), you use your connections on the underside of the city to find the homeless, gang members of all sorts, street buskers, petty criminals, prostitutes, residents of the slums or barrios and fringe elements of so-called "deviant" cultures. *'Influence (Transportation):' Most supernatural creatures make their homes in defensible parts of cities. Traveling across the wilderness is difficult without this Influence, with the problems of marauding werewolves and other supernatural threats. Getting access to special supplies and services can also take a measure of Influence (Transportation). All these things can be controlled with a bit of sway over truckers, harbors, railroads, airports, taxis, border guards, pilots and untold hundreds, as well as more mundane aspects like shipping and travel arrangements. *'Influence (Underworld):' The world of crime offers lucrative possibilities to strong-willed or subtle leaders. Anyone talented or simply vicious enough to do so can traffic in guns, money, drugs and vice. Influence (Underworld) lets you reap the benefits of all manner of illegal dealings, and its ranks are filled with drug-dealers, bookies, hit-men, fences and criminal gangs. *'Influence (University):' Institutions of learning and research are the purview of the Influence (University). Access to the halls of learning can grant any number of resources, from ancient languages to research assistance to many impressionable young minds. School boards, students from kindergarten through college, graduate students, professors, teachers, deans, Greek orders and a variety of staff fill the ivy-covered buildings. Mentor: An older or more experienced individual looks after you and comes to your aid occasionally. Whatever the case is, you can get assistance from your mentor, although his favor may be fickle. When you call on your mentor, you risk a certain number of Traits to achieve a given effect. A lowly one-Trait mentor probably knows only little more than you, while a five-Trait mentor may well have luminous standing within your sect and a wide range of potent powers. Regardless, taking up your mentor’s valuable time is costly. You must engage in a Simple Test when you call on your mentor. If you succeed, your mentor deigns to aid you. If you tie, your mentor grants you assistance, but he requires something in return. If you fail, your mentor demands the favor first before helping. (Note: Tremere do not have to throw this test. Their mentors will always help them, if possible, and will always require something in return.) In any case, you can call on your mentor only once in any given game session (or CIS), and only if you have an appropriate way to contact him or her. The level of aid that your mentor can give depends on the number of Traits you have in this Background (and Storyteller approval, of course): *For one Trait, your mentor is privy to a single piece of specialized information at a level above your own. If you have Wraith Lore x2, for instance, your mentor can be called on to gift you with one piece of information from Wraith Lore x3. *For two Traits, you can borrow one level of Contacts, Influence, Resources, or Status from your mentor for the duration of the game. If your mentor is very powerful (four or five Traits), you can borrow two levels. *Having two Traits allows your mentor to instruct you in a Basic power that you do not know. *For three Traits, your mentor can instruct you in an Intermediate power that you do not know. *Also at a cost of three Traits, your mentor can train you in the ways of a special Hobby/Professional/Expert Ability that is outside your normal ken, such as Mage Lore. *For four Traits, your mentor can train you in an Advanced power beyond your grasp. *For five Traits, your mentor can train you in the phenomenal powers of the elders, if you are puissant enough to learn such secrets. Since mentors can prove unbalancing by providing too many different powers over the course of a long game, the Storyteller may lower your total Mentor Traits as you call on his knowledge. This decrease represents the fact that as your character learns the mentor’s secrets; the mentor has less left to teach. No cannon White Wolf character can be used as a Mentor (except in specific instances approved by the Storytellers). Players are encouraged to give input on what they want their mentor to be like, but ultimately the Storytellers create each mentor using specific guidelines. Note: The Mentor Background does not go over 5 in VampCat. Resources: You have access to liquid capital and spending money. You also have some solid resources that you can use when times are tight. Unlike the use of Influence (Finance), these resources are always readily available, and they come to your automatically due to your investments, jobs and holdings. Your number of Resources Traits determines the amount of money and capital that you can secure. By expending temporary Resources Traits (which return at the next game session), you can draw on your regular income, as shown in the accompanying table. If you expend permanent Resources, you can divest yourself of holdings, allowing access to 10 times the amount shown on the table. However, the Storyteller always adjudicates the limits of what you can buy. Truly powerful uses of Resources are best left to downtimes and moderation between game sessions. You do not have to cash in your temporary Resources and keep a running total of your "cash available." The Storytellers will take into account your previous uses of Resources when determining what amount of cash is available to you for in game or downtime actions. For example, rather than having a player have to cash in their Resources x5 each game for $48,600 and accummulating the funds to purchase a $120,000 car, the player can request to purchase the car and the Storytellers will look at their past Resources usage. If they haven't used their Resources for a few games, the Storytellers will allow them to purchase the car. The mechanics for this background are flexible based on the story and how much the action impacts the game. The Storytellers are far less likely to deny a purchase of an item that has no game impact other than flavor and fits your character's background story. These Resources levels are slightly different than what is presented in the source books. The reason for this change is because the book is over ten years old. The values needed to be updated a bit for inflation. Here's how the calculations were done: *Disposable Income starts at $200 for 0 Traits. 1 Traits gets 3 times that. 2 Traits gets 3 times what 1 Trait received and so forth. *Permanent Expenditure is still 10 times the amount of the Disposable Income. *The calculation for Actual Net Worth is based on the Permanent Expenditure amount and the principle that the more money you have, the more you lose if you hastily cash it in. At 1 Trait, you basically lose nothing by cashing in your Resources so your net worth is equal to the Permanent Expenditure. 2 Traits gives an Actual Net Worth of 2 times 1 Trait. 3 Traits gives an Actual Net Worth of 4 times 2 Traits and so forth. Kindred Only Backgrounds Clan Prestige: Clan Prestige (or Dignitas for the Ventrue) is simply a measure of how renowned you are in your clan. Each clan has its own ways of gaining Clan Prestige and some are harder than others. Generation: Herd: Insight: Special Gift: Status: Status is the term that defines the level of trustworthiness or respect within Camarilla Society. It determines the weight with which a Kindred's word should be regarded, as well as the "pecking order" within Kindred society. It is a resume of adjectives that define character, rank, and standing in the Camarilla. Simply put, those with more status can demand respect from, or even ignore, those with less. In cases where there is a dispute between Kindred and the evidence is lacking, Status, and who has more of it, is always the deciding factor in who is right. Shifter Only Backgrounds Ancestors: Fetish: Kinfolk: Past Life: Pure Breed: Rites: Totem: Mage (or Technocracy) Only Backgrounds Avatar: Chantry: Companion (Laws of Ascension Companion): Construct: Cult: Demense: Devices: Dream: Enhancements: Familiar: Laboratory: Legend: Node: Past Lives: Requisitions: Sanctum: Secret Weapons: Spies: Wonder: Special Human Only Backgrounds Artifact: Berserk: Cenaculum: Chloe: Everyman: Exposure: Fraternity: Grace Under Pressure: Guide: Iron Willed: Mana: Patron: Pawn: Roots: Sanctuary: Soulmate: Steel Nerves: Other Restricted Backgrounds Ananta: Arcane: Backup: Colony: Den-Realm: Destiny: Freak Factor: Fylfot: Information Network: Jamak: Library: Mnesis: Plague: Remora: Secrets: Trinket: Umbral Glade: Umbral Maps: Wallow: Disallowed Backgrounds Arsenal: Ayllu: Ba: Backers: Batsu: Chimera: Clan: Companion (Laws of Resurrection): Companion (Shining Host): Domain: Dreamers: Dross: Eidolon: Equipment: Fairie Blood: Fairie Mentor: Favors: Feth Fiada: Go-en: Haunt: Holdings: Horoscope: Household: Husk: Influence (Espionage): Influence (Learning): Influence (Military): Influence (Tribal): Jade Talisman: Journal: Ka: Kenning: Legacy: Living Family: Magic Artifact: Magisterial Office: Mana Pool: Memoriam: Memory: Mummy Status: Nushi: Political Connections: Prestige (Shining Host Player's Guide): Rank: Regard: Relics: Remembrance: Samapa: Sempai: Spirit Companion: Title: Tomb: Treasure: Trod: Vessel: Vision: Wraith Family: Category:House Rules